1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink-jet head that eject ink droplets, and also to a valve.
2. Description of Related Art
An ink-jet printer performs printing by ejecting ink droplets to a recording medium. Known as an ink-jet head included in the ink-jet printer is one having a reservoir, a common ink chamber, and individual ink passages. The reservoir stores ink therein. Ink is supplied through the reservoir to the common ink chamber. The individual ink passages extend from the common ink chamber through pressure chambers to nozzles. In such an ink-jet head, the reservoir has an ink supply port communicating with outside, so that ink is supplied to the reservoir through an ink tube that is connected to the ink supply port.
When ink is charged into the ink-jet head, air remaining in the ink tube and in a pump which is for sending out ink may, together with ink, flow through the ink supply port into the reservoir. The air having flown into the reservoir may undesirably remain in and block the individual ink passages which are fine passages. Remaining of air bubbles or blocking of the passages cause deterioration in ink ejection performance, or ejection failure. Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. 2005-169839 discloses technique that provided an air discharge passage that discharges air, which has flown into a reservoir together with ink, to outside.